


Blumenjungfrau

by foxjar



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Cannibalism, Cousin Incest, Drama, Exhibitionism, F/F, F/M, Flower Maiden Dynamics, Love Triangles, Masturbation, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Misogyny, Pining, Romance, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-11-01 23:10:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20539838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxjar/pseuds/foxjar
Summary: Flower maidens have their first blooms around the age of twenty, and with Karren's birthday coming up, she's afraid she'll be torn from Shuu's side.It's Matsumae who comes to her aid.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [foxjar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxjar/pseuds/foxjar) in the [iibb2019](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/iibb2019) collection. 

> **Prompt:** Flower Maiden AU, Matsumae/Karren/Shuu
> 
> This AU is based on the dynamics of flower maidens from the comic "Moonlight Garden." I tried to weave in some of the lore, but I also changed a bit to fit what I wanted for the story.

The Tsukiyama estate is one of the few places in the world still graced by flowers. Blossoms of every shape and color grow in the garden, winding their way up trellises and coating the ground with their petals.

People say flowers only grow near the homes of flower maidens, as if nourished by their presence. The Tsukiyama family must be potent, seeing as how Mirumo is old enough to no longer experience his monthly blooms. The only flower maiden still blooming in the household is Shuu, sole heir to his family's name and fortune.

Shuu is skilled at everything he tries — music, dancing, art — and he's conversant in half a dozen different languages. The constant array of suitors lusting for his power and touch never seems to cease; they never seem to dissipate, not even when they're turned away once his blooms have run their course.

Flowers grow around the brothels, too — the places where female maidens are sent to live out their days, pleasuring others for money that will never be theirs.

Karren shudders at the thought of strangers' hands on her; their touch unwanted and unbidden. She would never consent to such atrocities if it were within her power to do so. For the past decade, she has lived as Kanae: a cousin of the Tsukiyama family, come from Germany after the annihilation of the Rosewalds, and a man.

She's only a few weeks shy of her twentieth birthday — when the monthly blooms set in — and she is afraid. The paranoia creeping up her spine nauseates her as she makes eye contact with the other servants of the household, her stomach fluttering each time.

_Who will be the one to betray me? Who here despises me the most?_

Perhaps it will be Aliza, selling Karren out to protect herself and her lover. Or maybe Matsumae, whose loyalty seems to lie entirely with the Tsukiyama family. A female maiden in the family — undocumented and living outside of a brothel — would cause a scandal. If Karren was in Matsumae's shoes, she might turn her in too.

Anything to protect Shuu, the man who gave Karren hope after she lost her family. She feared roses once — abhorred even their scent — for she knew what was to become of her someday: free will and common sense shattered as her blooms overtook her body. It was Shuu who held her close in comfort and as she breathed in the smell of him, she came to love it; that sweet citrus of his flower that always seems to float about him in a pleasant mist.

If it was the man she loves turning her in, she wonders if she would be able to keep her head high all the way to the brothel. Or perhaps she would wilt en route, crushed by the betrayal.

Karren still has a few weeks left before the change; before her life inevitably takes a dark turn, and she is either damned or lost. But for now, she focuses on her assigned duties, serving Shuu in any way she can. She's always taken it upon herself to prepare his meals, in addition to making sure he both starts and ends his days well.

It's a warm Sunday morning and with Mirumo away on business, Shuu tends to sleep in late. Karren prepares his breakfast — choice cuts of raw, human flesh — before she makes her way to his room, knocking dutifully upon his door.

"You may enter," he calls through the thick wooden door. His voice has always been music to her ears — her favorite tune — and as she sets the tray of food on his nightstand, she wishes he would say something else. Anything would be fine; anything to make her skin tingle with joy would be more than enough.

She has lived here with the Tsukiyama family for a decade now, and still, it doesn't feel quite like home. It's what she's become accustomed to — Shuu's excited screeching whenever he discovers a new stimulating flavor, Mirumo's soft smile, Matsumae's blank stare — but it isn't home.

Home is with her mother and father; with her brothers, who would both tease her and teach her new things. Back in Germany, her family had servants and various tutors, but it is what she learned from her brothers that she holds dear: how to swim, how to ride a bike, and how to love with her whole heart.

Karren lives as Kanae to keep her family's lineage alive. Even if, by some miracle, she wasn't sent to a brothel, female flower maidens are unable to inherit family names. She will fight for her name someday, but for now, she remains hidden; for the next few weeks, she will remain as nondescript of a ghoul as she always has.

Shuu is still bundled up in bed with only his head peeking out from beneath the covers. It's a comical sight — seeing his hair so messy when he's usually so uptight about keeping it neat and styled. It's intimate, too, in the way that so few people are allowed to see him so disheveled.

"What is that delectable smell?" he asks, curious nose twitching as he sniffs the air.

She gestures toward the nightstand. "I brought your breakfast."

_Of course that's what smells._ Even she can smell the meat — the juicy hunk of muscle she so lovingly cut for him — but Shuu doesn't even spare it a glance. Instead, his hand darts out from beneath the blankets to grab her wrist. He brings it closer to sniff her skin and she lets him — because she doesn't want to offend or arouse suspicion, but also because a part of her wants him to touch her.

"You smell divine, Kanae." He licks his lips and she shivers at the mere sight. "Like flowers."

Once he releases her hand, she shakes her head. "That is kind of you to say, Master Shuu. I believe what you are smelling may be yourself, however."

At this, Shuu smiles; it's so sudden and eerie that, for a moment, Karren thinks he might know her secret.

_But which one?_

"My own scent is nowhere near as sweet, I'm afraid. But my next bloom is coming up, so you must be right."

As Shuu relaxes again, easing his head back against the pillow, Karren takes the opportunity to slip out of the room. Her heart thuds in her chest as she leans against the door, closing her eyes.

Her family was her home, but she belongs here with Shuu; her purpose in life is to serve him in every way as well as following him to whatever ends of the earth he decides to venture to. She has her family's legacy to think of, but there's her master as well.

_I don't ever want to leave his side._

She feels the tears in her eyes, but, out of stubbornness, she refuses to let them fall.

_This secret will have to die with me._

* * *

"Let me make sure I'm understanding you," Matsumae says, brow furrowed as she folds Shuu's clothes. After finishing up with her own tasks — hunting for the family’s food supply — she decided to busy herself with housework. "You want to be alone on your birthday?"

Karren nods, any potential reply thick in her throat. She doesn't want to lie to her friend and fellow servant, who she has known just as long as Shuu, but that's exactly what any half-truth she could muster would be.

_Lies. Lies._

She sits beside Matsumae on the couch, reaching inside the laundry basket. If she has to lie she may as well busy her hands to take some of the edge off. Sitting beside her, Matsumae can't see her eyes; she can't see the desperation gleaming just beneath the surface.

The clothes are warm from the dryer, but even now, they smell like Shuu. She wants to press the shirt to her face so that she can inhale the flowery scent even more deeply, but she isn't sure how much Matsumae knows about her feelings.

Shuu, at least, should never be made aware of her hunger for him: his lips, his attention, his love. Karren isn't sure whether Matsumae would rat her out about that, either.

Even if, in some faraway universe, he yearned for her just as she yearns for him, they could never consummate the relationship. If a man were to have sex with a female flower maiden, she would die a horrible, agonizing death as her body broke itself down.

It wouldn't be the worst death she could think of, at least; with Shuu deep inside her, as his lips kiss every inch of her skin, she might finally know true bliss. She could die happy then, but if possible, she wishes to remain by his side.

She would die for him — if he were ever in danger, or if he asked. But for now, she brushes those thoughts aside as she calmly folds Shuu's button-down shirt as if the mere privilege of being able to do so doesn't have the hairs on the back of her neck standing up in a strange sort of joy.

"May I ask why?" Matsumae continues, plucking stray socks from the basket. "You know how excited Shuu gets for birthdays."

This is why Karren decided to mention her desire to be alone weeks in advance. Knowing Shuu, he would likely be planning some sort of extravaganza for her — flower arrangements to decorate the halls, the most expensive of gifts, and perhaps even a visit to the opera.

"My birthday just reminds me of my family," Karren says. It's not entirely untrue, but it still hurts to use them for her own gain. The lie makes her chest tight, but if her secret is discovered she won't be able to keep her promise to them.

_This is for the best._

"You know it's entirely possible he'll plan something, anyway." Matsumae finishes folding the last of the socks, tucking them beside her. "If anything, this might inspire him."

"Please. Tell him it's important."

"Kanae." Hearing her false name spoken with such tenderness has her pause, turning to Matsumae, who pats her knee. "Of course I will. I just think it'd help if he heard it from you."

_If he heard it from me, he wouldn't listen and I would cave instantly to whatever demands he might make._

_That's why it has to be you,_ Karren thinks.

Her birthday slinks around faster than she had hoped. It's the middle of spring and the flowers are thriving, blooming right below her window for her to enjoy — in sight and smell, but not to touch.

She last ate days ago, gorging herself for the inevitable fasting she would have to endure. So far she doesn't feel any different; doesn't feel that searing warmth she's heard about. She doesn't know much about her blooms — didn't have anyone to ask, or at least no one who wouldn't be suspicious — so she has no idea how it starts, or when.

_Curse this body. Curse it to hell and back._

Matsumae must have kept her promise to plead with Shuu for some time off, and it must have worked, seeing as how neither of them have tried to visit her. Perhaps they don't even care, and maybe Shuu hasn't even noticed she's missing.

It might be the stress of that thought that breaks something in her — the idea of being so unwanted and alone that everyone forgets her name — that sends her body over the edge. It starts at the small of her back, curling upward as the heat digs into her skin.

_But they never knew my name, anyway, did they?_

It's the last rational thought she's able to muster. Now it's just the accursed heat coursing through her, burning every inch of her skin. She clenches at her blanket before tossing it aside, watching as it falls to the floor. It's anger that fills her — not just at being born a woman, but a flower maiden too. For losing her family, despite being a child at the time; for being weak.

And for falling in love with a man she could never be with.

Even if she begged for someone — anyone — to help her, no one would come. She is alone and so hot, her skin damp with sweat. Taking off her clothes only provides momentary relief as the cool air hits her body, but then her skin is searing again.

_Help me._

She can't put her desire into words with how dazed she's become. Fingers tracing her skin, fingers inside her, lips trailing down her body. She wants someone to ease this pain and to usher in her life from before.

More than anything, she wants Shuu. In a cruel twist of fate, her prayers are finally answered.

The knock at the door startles her and her eyes snap open at the sound. Everything seems so much dimmer now as if buried in a thick fog, but the knocking is so loud; it's a deep, endless sound.

"Kanae," a voice says, muffled through the door. "It's me."

Her hands reach for the blanket to cover herself with, but it's too far away.

_Shuu._

"Please. Leave me. I beg of you." Her voice is raspy as she makes the request, even as her body disagrees with her — wanting nothing more than for Shuu to see her. To want her; to touch her. She knows it isn't that simple, but she doesn't care. Relief at the hands of her beloved is what her body craves, but she denies it any form of succor. Her hands clench at the mattress, body writhing as she rips the sheets into shreds.

There's more knocking — louder now, filling her head with the hollow thumps — and she wonders if he even heard her. Maybe he's angry or disappointed in her.

_Maybe he's worried._

The thudding stops and for a few moments, there is silence. All she can hear is the ringing in her ears until a voice calls out to her from outside the door.

"It's Matsumae. May I come in? Master Shuu is gone."

_You mustn't. You mustn't see —_

The words stick in her throat and Matsumae takes that as her cue to unlock the door. Karren should have known someone would have a key or would think to pick the lock, but she didn't. Even barricading the door wouldn't have prevented the most determined of ghouls.

She squeezes her eyes shut, turning toward the window — to the roses outside that she loves so much. Their scent seems to pale in comparison to her own now: the tangy, citrus of the angel face rose. That's all she'll be known as now.

The angel face flower maiden.

They'll send her away, surely. She'll be forced to live out her life in a brothel, away from the place she's tried so hard to make feel like home.

Away from Shuu.

Matsumae walks toward the bed, every step a slow and agonizing punch to Karren's stomach. Her body is so hot, but it doesn't stop her from trembling.

"Let me help you," Matsumae says, bed creaking beneath her as she sits down. Karren tries to move away from her, closer to the wall, but Matsumae touches her hair. It's like a breath of fresh air fills her lungs and she leans into the touch.

She can't remember the last time she's ever felt this good. It's better than that first bite of human flesh after not eating for weeks; better than when she touches herself as fantasies of Shuu dance across her vision.

There's only one thing that is able to ease Shuu's pain when he's blooming.

Karren turns toward her friend, nodding as their eyes meet. When Matsumae leans in to kiss her, hands creeping along her bare thigh, she doesn't pull away.


	2. Chapter 2

Karren almost can't remember what her life was like before the heat of her blooms. In her dazed state of mind, she tells herself she deserves this. If she hadn't fallen in love with Shuu, her body wouldn't be like this. If she had been able to keep her secret hidden, things would be different.

Matsumae cups her breasts, squeezing gently as their mouths meet. Thumbs brush her nipples, making her gasp and arch into the touch. She can't remember the last time her body was this sweaty — hot and burning all over.

The vines of her flower creep all over her body, tingling every nerve as the blooming flowers paint her skin. They don't hurt as she had assumed; if anything, they add to the pleasure as they weave into her, making her even more sensitive.

"Please," she says. "Make it stop."

She has begged for Matsumae to hurry at least half a dozen times now, and still, the fire persists. Matsumae takes her time, trailing her hand down her stomach. Before, such a touch might've tickled her, but now, she just wants more. She doesn't have to wait long before a hand is slipping further down. She doesn't fight it. Instead, she opens her legs, willing and wanting.

The first brush against her clit leaves her hips shaking, yearning for more. It's like when she touches herself, but even stronger; something about the foreignness of the hand on her makes her hunger in a whole new way.

One of Matsumae's fingers ease into her — just the tip of her finger — before touching her clit again, the wetness adding a whole new blissful sensation. She moves slowly at first, teasing gentle circles on her skin as they kiss, before moving faster. Her body arches into the touch, hips trying to meet the source of her pleasure.

It's too much, and her mind reels at the heat, but she's still along for every wave of thrill. When Matsumae's fingers are inside her again, she moans into her lips. The feeling alone is electrifying — of someone else's hands on her and inside her — but it's that touch deep inside her that has her hips shaking.

Matsumae doesn't say anything and she doesn't have to. She just gives Karren the attention she needs, bordering on relief as she edges closer and closer. Karren's never come with another person before, after only having found satisfaction when she thought of Shuu: his hands, chest, length. His eyes peering at her as a smile curls on his lips.

He seems so far away now, from both her body and mind. She's always loved him, but it isn't Shuu who's here; it isn't Shuu who is guiding her through her first bloom.

Karren wraps her arms around Matsumae, pulling her closer. Although her body is warm, it isn't a painful heat like her own. She smells like lavender soap and sweat with a hint of the detergent she uses to clean.

She doesn't smell like roses.

When Karren opens her eyes, she sees Matsumae staring down at her, eyes half-lidded as she bites her lip. Their eyes meeting just makes her hand move faster, desperate to give her peace.

In the end, Karren tries to hold back — just for a moment. She steels her body, both wanting this moment to end and for it to never cease. It's so much more intense with another person; there's so much more energy that winds up and uncoils within her as she comes, moaning a garbled string of syllables.

Matsumae lies beside her, face pressing into her neck. Karren is still shuddering even moments later as her body finally comes down from her high.

Like a soothing, comforting wave, the air hits her. Matsumae pulls her hand away and Karren almost wants to stop her. It's the most intimate anyone has ever touched her; not just in a sexual way, but in a fit of protectiveness.

Matsumae saved her. Now she knows her secrets. Karren tries to brace her heart for the inevitable: threats, blackmail, the chastising. Instead, Matsumae just pats her head before she stands to leave.

"Get some rest," she says.

"Are you going to tell anyone?" When Matsumae shakes her head, Karren continues: "And Master Shuu?"

"I don't think this is something he needs to know. Especially not with the way you…"

Karren shifts uncomfortably, her hips aching as she sits up. She reaches for something to cover herself with, and, finding nothing, Matsumae hands her the blanket from the floor. Wrapping the fabric around herself, she almost feels armored — safe.

"But I'm already so much trouble," she says, tears dripping down her cheeks. "For everyone."

The Tsukiyama family taking her in after what happened in Germany has always been a huge risk for them. Although she tries to keep her head down — as much as a ghoul can — she could still be tied back to what happened all those years ago. It would put everyone in danger if that were to happen.

_Shuu._

"Everyone here is a risk," Matsumae says. She touches Karren's face, guiding her eyes back toward her. "That is the life of a ghoul."

There's something beneath her words and although it isn't a lie, it isn't exactly the truth either. If anyone were to threaten Shuu's safety, Matsumae would be the first to slit their throat.

As she lies down to sleep, Karren wonders why she's been given such leniency. After everything, she doesn't feel like she deserves it. She is a selfish person, lusting for her master in ways she shouldn't. And yet Matsumae has given her this gift; it's so gracious, and she never would have expected it.

Matsumae will keep her secret, and she will help Karren through her blooms.

_Until someone finds out. Or until I die._

With her secret no longer a burden she suffers alone, her shoulders feel lighter. The days turn to weeks as time moves in a rush and she's anxious all over again, remembering the heat from her first bloom. But this time she isn't alone; she has someone to help her. Someone to trust.

When Matsumaes lies with her again, the bed creaking beneath them, she struggles to find the words she's wanted to utter for so long. Her body is on fire, but as Matsumae reaches to tuck her sweaty hair behind her ear, the flower maiden smiles.

"Karren," she says. "My name is Karren."

* * *

Shuu notices.

It might be the way Karren and Matsumae stand so close to one another now, or maybe it's how they find the smallest reasons to touch each other. They don't try to bring attention to themselves, but neither do they hide it.

"Something's different about you two," Shuu says. He's already sitting up in bed when Karren arrives with his breakfast, dressed up as if he has somewhere to be. Tsukiyama Shuu always has somewhere to be, even if he isn't welcome wherever his destination is.

_People are stupid. Kaneki Ken, and all of those vermin at Anteiku._

_He'll always be welcome here with me._

"Oh? I'm not sure what you mean." Her hands shake as she sets the tray down and she isn't sure why, but something in her chest hurts. It's winding up inside her, pulling her heart taut.

_I feel guilty. But why?_

Shuu touches her hand, steadying her. She wishes the moment would never end; if only he'd pull her into his arms, never allowing her to be alone again.

"Matsumae is a bit aloof, isn't she?" he says, tracing circles on her skin with his thumb. "Kind, but not too kind. Wholly dedicated to her work, but she never talks much."

Karren has to clear her throat to form a response, her hand growing sweaty in Shuu's grip. "She's a strong woman."

"She is. But you need to give yourself more credit, too, _mon chéri_."

He brings her hand to his lips, kissing it, and she might have fallen to the floor if Shuu's other arm hadn't reached out to support her waist. His fingers clench the fabric of her vest and he closes his eyes.

"I have told you, yes? How good you smell…"

There's something possessive in his touch — in the way he doesn't release her even when she tries to shift away. It both terrifies and exhilarates her as she stares into his eyes, hard and cold.

"Do you love her?" he asks.

She wonders what that word means to her anymore — "love" — but she doesn't think her answer would satisfy him. Of course she loves Matsumae, as she's come to trust and rely on her in ways no one else could truly understand.

_With her help, I can stay here with Shuu._

But there's more to it, as she wants to touch Matsumae too; she wants to make her feel good in the same way, if only her bloom wasn't an all-consuming force.

"She'll give you many children someday," Shuu says, hand falling to his side. His eyes are dim, his voice heavy with defeat. "You've always wanted children, yes?"

_The only children I've ever wanted are yours._

She wants to scream, but she cannot. Over the past decade, she has carefully created a mask to hide her true self and she can't let herself slip up now.

Before leaving, she bows, hiding the grimace stretched across her face.

_Is he jealous?_ she wonders. _He thinks Matsumae is taking me away from him, but I would never abandon him. Not for anyone._

_Not even for myself._

It's this sense of devotion that keeps her hopeful — that Matsumae will always be here to help her through her blooms, and that no one will ever discover their secret. It's become a two-person effort now, as Matsumae could face punishment for knowingly harboring a female flower maiden.

Like she had said before after Karren's first bloom: "Everyone here is a risk." Living as ghouls and being forced to hunt for human flesh, especially with their master's lavish appetites, has the potential to bring any number of catastrophes crashing down upon them. It's a matter of finding a balance; what's important enough to risk one's livelihood.

And Karren is somehow important enough for Matsumae to risk it all.

In the end, it isn't just her bloom that causes problems — it's Shuu's, as well. For the first time the occurrence of their blooms overlaps, and even as she writhes in Matsumae's arms, she can smell him. She can sense how needy he is and how much he needs her.

Usually, he has someone scheduled to come and help with his monthly bloom, but this month, he hadn't arranged for anyone. Karren is the one who helps set this up, and yet she didn't even realize — too focused on her own impending bloom — before it's too late.

Matsumae's hands on her are electrifying, but there's something else too; something creeping into her mind that she can almost feel touch her skin.

Then there's a knock at the door, hard and sharp.

"Kanae." He says her name like a plea, and she reaches out to the closed door, drawn by his voice, but Matsumae holds her back.

"He can't come in. You know this," she says, but Karren isn't listening. She struggles weakly in Matsumae's arms, licking at her sweat-covered lip. Despite knowing exactly what will happen if Shuu sees her, she almost wants to risk it.

_To die in his arms would be the best way._

"I know you're in there," Shuu calls out between his fervent knocks. "From my room, from a mile away — I can smell you."

"He'll break the door down if we don't let him in," Karren mumbles, nuzzling her head into the crook of Matsumae's neck. So warm; so safe.

"I'll break this damn door down if you don't —"

When Matsumae peels herself away to return Shuu's furious knocking, Karren has to bite back a whimper. She grabs a blanket to cover herself, but at this point she doesn't think it will do much good.

"You have to promise to be good, Shuu. Promise me."

"Yes, yes. I swear," he says before he falls through the now-open door into Matsumae's arms. She holds him back as he stares at Karren, nose twitching wildly as if he smells something delectable.

Their eyes meet, her eyes searching his — for acceptance, for love — before drifting away. Despite the heat of her bloom, the shame in her throat overwhelms her.

"I could smell you." His body is limp in Matsumae's grip, no longer struggling.

She had no idea she'd been such a disturbance to him. All she's ever done has been for Shuu's sake; even the way she's been dealing with her blooms was for him. It's all so she can stay by his side, serving him in whatever way he desires.

_Dummkopf. I'm so selfish._

His next words hurt as much as they make her heart soar: "I want to touch. To taste."

"Master Shuu," Matsumae says, her arms bracing for an escape attempt, "you cannot —"

But Shuu doesn't struggle. Instead, he sighs. "Of course not. You can let me go now. I will not touch Kanae. This smell wouldn't be so enticing if I could."

He wants her, in a way; her biology is drawing him toward her. And yet he isn't snapping at Matsumae, tearing himself from her arms to take what he wants. It's so unlike him to restrain himself when drawn to something — or someone. He's never kept himself from killing a human when he wanted a part of their body, no matter how minuscule the size.

Shuu would kill a man for his baby toe if the desire struck him. The idea that she means enough for him to deny himself that pleasure leaves her eyes welling up with tears.

When Karren nods, Matsumae releases him, leaving him to approach her. Every step is an eternity; every moment is agony as her burning body throbs.

She wants him and, for the first time, he wants her too.

He touches her chin, drawing her gaze up to his face. Although his eyes are dark, he smiles. His fingers run across her lips and she parts them, willing in ways she shouldn't be.

"You are so beautiful," he says. "My Kanae."

_His._

"Karren," she corrects, as he pulls at the sheet covering her. He doesn't touch her body directly, but she can feel the heat of his fingertips through the thin cloth.

It's all she's ever wanted, and still she wants more.

In a flurry of heat and sweat, he kisses her. His tongue runs along her lip and she meets it with her own, tasting the citrus that is uniquely Shuu.

It's the best gift he could have ever given her. Better than the violin he gave her for her birthday one year; better than the home he so graciously opened up to her and allows her to remain within to this day.

He pulls back before too long, not letting her sink into his arms entirely. She would if he let her; if only she had a moment longer to wrap her arms around him.

Matsumae is quick to take his place, kissing her so deeply she gasps into her mouth. If she didn't know better, she'd think there might be a hint of jealousy in the way Matsumae cups her face; in the way her hands press against heated skin.

But then she, too, is pulling away from her. Before she can grab her arm — with a meek beg slipping from her lips — she sees Shuu standing in front of her, palming the front of his pants. His eyes are glued to her, soaking in her body. Matsumae sits behind her on the bed, one hand running across her stomach as the other cups her breast.

The rustling of Shuu's belt as he unhooks it is the loudest sound Karren has ever heard. It hits the floor with a dull thud and her eyes are drawn to the sound; to the carpet that had once been so ordinary until her blooms started. This was her shelter.

His shirt joins his belt on the floor, discarded like common trash. That her own floor would be worthy of such grace amazes her even in her dazed state.

Matsumae touches her clit right as Shuu grabs his length. When he rubs his thumb over the tip, Matsumae presses a finger into her. She weakly thrusts her hips into the touch, wanting more, and wanting what she can't have.

Shuu never takes his eyes off her. Even as her eyes slip shut, the bliss overwhelming her, she can feel them on her — gazing at every inch of her. It would be embarrassing if her body wasn't on fire, and for once she's almost grateful for her blooms. They brought both of them — Matsumae and Shuu — here to her. Finally, she isn't alone.

Lips trail down her neck, peppering kisses along her collarbone. Matsumae twists her nipple between her fingers, making her moan at the heat pooling deep inside. Even without Shuu touching her, she feels spoiled by both of them. She can't help the unworthiness embedded in her heart, but it isn't guilt that washes over her.

It's love. Matsumae has been her confidant for so long now, and here Shuu is, baring himself to her. Masturbating won't ease the pain of his own bloom, but it should take the edge off for a while. She doesn't want to think about who he'll choose to help him later after they're done here.

She doesn't want to think about it because it won't be her.

As Shuu touches himself, dark tendrils twist across his skin; the vines of his flower. She's never seen them on another person before, and unlike her own, she thinks they're beautiful. A pale purple starts to bloom on his chest, right over his heart, and she can see the silver shimmer.

A sterling silver rose. Shuu couldn't be more beautiful even if he tried — not to Karren.

She wants to come. Her toes curl against the bedspread, her body sweaty as she writhes against Matsumae. If only she could taste or touch Shuu — just a little bit. She licks her lips, thinking of the tangy sweetness of his kiss.

Matsumae's kisses are different. They're lingering, with more bite to them; a possessiveness that drives her wild.

_Doesn't she know he can never have my body like she does?_

_Oh, mein Lieber Matsumae._

In another world, she would be able to touch them both. She comes to that thought — of Shuu inside her as she tastes Matsumae, tongue teasing her — and finally, the heat starts to subside. Her body relaxes as it unwinds from its high, sated for the time being.

Until her next bloom.

Shuu finishes in his hand, his body shuddering as he comes. The room smells even more like him now — the scent she has always loved — and she hopes it never dissipates.

Shame doesn't creep into her thoughts like she thought it might. She doesn't have to ask whether Shuu will keep her secret, but Matsumae voices her concern, anyway.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Her voice is low — almost frightened.

"The secret is safe with me. Besides, I'm not one for sharing." He leans over to kiss Karren's forehead, grabbing his shirt from the floor before he turns to leave. "You're in good hands with Matsumae."

Karren falls asleep in Matsumae's arms, a soft humming in her ears. She doesn't wonder if they'll be together again like this next month, even as their blooms fall out of sync. She felt love today: in Matsumae's hands, and in Shuu's eyes. One person discovering her secret wasn't something she anticipated, and having two to share her burden with amazes her even more.

Shuu wants to help Matsumae protect her — to keep her here with them. If she's lucky, she'll be able to remain with them — forever in their service, attempting to pay back their loyalty in kind — until the day she dies.

Next month will be yet another adventure, and she can already hear Matsumae's protective tone as she scolds Shuu in the most loving way possible:

"No. Touching."

**Author's Note:**

> Shuu's flower, the [Sterling silver rose](https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.5970&tab=36), is one of the parents of Karren's [angel face rose](https://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.44117&tab=36). I wanted their flowers to be meaningful, and I thought this was fitting.


End file.
